Compassion
by likeacliche
Summary: When Yu Yan Archer Da Wei meets an old woman in the "haunted" Ruins of Taku, and later faced with the command to kill the man in the mask, he discovers things about himself he never realized.


He felt the polished wood beneath his fingers—smooth and firm. The shaft of the arrow, the curved wood of the bow—it was perfect, a feeling he'd felt since almost before he could remember. He pulled back, his elbow raised to the perfect angle from his side. The string was taut against his skin. He inhaled… and released.

The arrow embedded itself firmly in the center of the target 200 yards away. This was nothing for him. He could easily hit the target from twice that distance.

Behind him he could hear quiet gasps from the young boys watching his demonstration. They were all around the age of five years old. The Yu Yan Archers took them young and trained them like they would be the last line of defense for the Fire Lord.

He himself was brought in at the tender age of four, already showing promise with his makeshift sling. He had been able to bring down small animals with it. He remembered the day he'd had his first kill—an egret. It had been standing in the reeds near the riverbank by his childhood home and he'd killed it with a single rock.

It was that day that Colonel Shinu had found him. And now… now the egret was the only thing of his childhood he could remember. Not his parents, not his friends. Oh, he liked to think he remembered, but all it turned out to be was things he made up to make himself feel better.

"Do you know why Da Wei is our most remarkable archer?" Colonel Shinu spoke loudly, though he didn't stand far from the children. He motioned to the poor young men off to the side who were on their knees scrubbing the cobblestones of the courtyard. "Because he doesn't sneak out after curfew like these mangy boys here," he continued without waiting for any of the boys to answer.

The older boys looked up at him briefly before returning to their work.

"You missed a spot, boys," Colonel Shinu told them, a small smile on his face. Then he turned his attention back to the new recruits. "Da Wei practices day in and day out. He hardly saves himself time for eating and sleeping. Someday, perhaps some of you will match him. But then again, perhaps not. To become an archer of his reputation is not a simple task."

Da Wei wasn't sure if he liked praise. It set him apart from the other archers. But praise was something he got often. He turned now, away from the target, to look at the children.

There were ten of them. And one… one was a girl.

The few female archers there were had taken on a boyish, almost brutal side to them. It was difficult for him to believe that this little girl would become anything like the other female archers. But he didn't dwell on that thought for long. Whatever the Fire Lord and Colonel Shinu wanted. It wasn't his place to protest. Though he felt bad for her; she looked as frightened as he'd felt when he first arrived.

...

Da Wei sat in silence, surrounded by… they weren't really his friends, but they were the ones he spent the most time with. He was about to take a drink when he was jostled and the water splashed over the edge of his cup. "Hey, Guozhi—" he began, looking at the boy beside him, but then stopped.

"You should have seen Peng's face when the laughing started. He would have run all the way back here if I hadn't stopped him," Guozhi laughed.

"I would not," Peng mumbled into his spoonful of rice.

They were talking about the Ruins of Taku. It was rumored to be haunted and often times, some of the archers—whether they were brave or just crazy Da Wei didn't know—would make their way to the city just to try and impress the girls. Either that or it was just for the thrill of fear. Whichever it was, he thought it was stupid. There were better things for one to do.

Guozhi grabbed his shoulder with large and sweaty hand, startling Da Wei from his thoughts. He was irritated by it. Why must they grab him when they wanted his attention?

"Come with us, Da Wei," Guozhi said. "Come to the ruins with us tonight."

"You went there last night, did you not?" Da Wei asked grumpily, shrugging his shoulder free. "And you were caught by patrols—you want the same punishment tomorrow?"

Peng chortled from where he sat across the table. "Leave him be, Guozhi. He's too scared."

"I value my sleep." He hated being pushed into things by these guys. He knew they wouldn't let up until they had their way or were dead. "If I go," he said quietly, "will you leave me alone?"

...

The air was very still among the buildings overgrown with vines. Grass was pushing its way up through the cobblestones. The dust from the first attacks that had wiped the city clean had settled long ago, leaving behind only whispers of the wrong that had been done. It was oddly quiet, his carefully placed footsteps echoing too loudly.

If there were anything haunting within these walls, it would hear him from a mile away.

There was a flash of movement in the corner of his eye and he turned quickly to see what it was, but there was nothing there. In his mind he reassured himself that there was nothing left in the ruins. The city had been empty for a very long time and probably no one would return to restore it to its former glory.

There was a quiet sound from in front of him, so quiet he wasn't sure he really heard it. But then, as he peered into the darkness, two glowing eyes appeared. They were low to the ground and were an eerie green in color.

He took a step back. The others were waiting for him; he should get back. There was no way they could say he was scared now.

Another sound reached his ears—laughter maybe? It was a strange, lilting sound. Odd for a place such as this and at this time of night. He couldn't pin down the direction of the sound, though he turned to look in every direction. It seemed to be coming from all around him. A spirit maybe? He dreamed of the spirits sometimes, though the Fire Nation tried to drive them from people's minds completely.

Something brushed up against his leg and he nearly jumped out of his skin, barely managing to stifle a cry of alarm. Ready to run for his life, he looked down.

A cat. It was just a cat.

His muscles loosened as he bent down and pat the cat on its head, ran his hand over its arched back and fluffy tail. "What are you doing in here?" he asked it. His voice was a little shaky as he was still getting over his moment of fright. "You should be at home resting." How had he not heard the cat coming when his own well trained stealth could be heard?

"Miyuki, I told you not to wander off. You silly cat."

Once again his heart raced, pounding against his ribcage like some feral animal trying to break free. This time an old woman had snuck up on him without him realizing it. It was dark, but the light of the moon was bright enough to allow him to see that she was very old.

"And who is this you've found?"

The cat left him and went to the woman, rubbing up against her legs now.

"Miyuki doesn't often take to strangers so well," the woman said to him. "You must have a kind heart." Her wrinkled face parted to show her toothless smile.

"Are you lost?" he asked. It was all he could think of to say. And besides, what was she doing here in the middle of the night? And carrying a basket full of… weeds?

"That's right!"

"Well… do you know where you live?"

She turned and pointed up the mountain. "Just up there." She shoved her basket into his arms. "Be a dear and carry that for me."

The climb up the mountain was a steep, difficult climb and he wondered if she did this every night. His legs were burning long before they reached the top of the stairs. He could tell they were made by an earthbender rather than dug out by hand.

"So, what's in this basket?" he asked her.

"Oh, just herbs and Miyuki's meals for tomorrow."

Da Wei looked down into the basket, searching for maybe a fish hidden among all the green. He even pushed some aside to look underneath. No fish. "What does she eat?"

The old woman reached the top of the stairs before him and shuffled along the path to what appeared to be her front door. Miyuki followed her inside, instantly leaping up onto the nearest table and letting out a yowl. "Now, now, Miyuki," the old woman said in a scolding tone. "Be patient. You'll get some tomorrow."

There were plants everywhere on the tables and on the floor. The entire place had a greenhouse atmosphere and the smell of spices and herbs.

"Do you sleep here?"

She walked over to him and took her basket back. "Yes." She set it down near the cat and began organizing its contents. She tied a piece of string around a bundle of herbs and then looked up at a shelf that was too high for her to reach. She bent down and pulled a stool out from beneath the table, but before she could climb up on it, she noticed that the herbs were not where she'd left them. Looking up she saw Da Wei placing them on the shelf for her.

He lowered his arm and looked at her. "That's where you wanted them, right?"

The old woman reached out and patted his forearm. "You're a good boy," she said. "Very kind. Not like those other boys who go into Taku most nights."

Da Wei raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. Was it her laugh they all spoke of? The thought of this old woman being what they were all scared of made him laugh. She was just so small and frail… How could one be scared of her?

"What's on your face?" she asked.

"My face?" He reached up to wipe it off, wondering if he had crumbs or gravy from dinner on it.

"Yes, the red stuff."

"Oh. It's the mark of the Yu Yan Archers. We all have it."

Her eyes narrowed. "You are not like them. You deserve more than training to kill and capture."

An hour later he made his way outside the ruins, finding that Guozhi, Peng, and the other had left. Maybe they had thought he was dead. He had been in there longer than any of them had. The old woman had been kind to him, though she seemed mostly to be in her own world. And the cat, Miyuki, had been a nice change from his usual company.

He couldn't help but smile. The others sure would be surprised to wake up and find him already out practicing.

The old woman's words to him stayed in his mind. _You're a good boy_, she had said.

Was he?

...

Zhao leaned over the edge of the parapet. He reeked of alcohol, but not because he was drunk. He just seemed to smell that way all the time and it made Da Wei cringe away from the man. Ever since the Yu Yan had been taken over by Zhao and Da Wei and the other top archers had been sent out after the Avatar, the woman's words hadn't given him even a moment of peace.

"Kill him," Zhao hissed, looking at Da Wei. "Don't harm the Avatar, but kill the man in the mask."

Da Wei closed one eye and pulled the arrow back, feeling the wood beneath his fingers. This time it didn't feel right. He inhaled, aiming for the man in the mask. It was an easy shot. Straight through his throat. He could release the arrow now and be done with it.

_You're a good boy. You are not like them._

Not one of them…

Da Wei's hand shook slightly. He swallowed hard, aimed just a little higher, and released.


End file.
